Megazords.
Putty patrols.
Ambiguous racial references.
These are a few of the elements that formed Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, basically a
rehashed Japanese Super Sentai series in an easy to swallow westernized pill.
It's a series and a pop culture phenomenon that took the United States by storm virtually
overnight, and soon, you were enrolling in taekwondo classes and getting up early every
Saturday morning to see what would transpire between the teenagers of Angel Grove California
and the twisted alien witch Rita Repulsa.
The Power Rangers media empire spanned across the map, from television and movies, to action
figures and of course, video games.
Controlling your favorite character, whether it be because they wear your favorite color
or perhaps because of their overall style and fighting flair, was like living the dream,
and when Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers showed up to play on the Sega Genesis, you were in
for an afternoon of button mashing, name-calling goodness.
Basically everything that happens in this game is what happens in the series: Rita Repulsa
throws her monstrous goons at you, and you must defeat them in true fighting game fashion,
as opposed to the Super NES version which is a side-scrolling putty patrol beat-em-up,
not to be confused with MMPR the Movie.
To counter her attack on Planet Earth, you will select a ranger of your choice, and after
a little bit of typical fanservice and 16-bit cutscene, you'll find yourself on the battlefield,
starting off with Minotaur.
I'll be honest, each fight feels a little bit like a boss battle in Final Fight, Streets
of Rage or any other 2D beat-em-up.
Your opponents' movements can seem somewhat scripted, making it easy to come up with a
broken strategy to defeat him.
For example, my man Zack Taylor, who was the Black Ranger before Vash the Stampede beat
him out, has a spin attack can be implemented over and over again, and since the fighting
area can go left or right infinitely, there is a chance that you can use such a strategy
to your benefit until your enemy falls.
Along with the minotaur, you'll come across some of the show's most popular villains,
such as a possessed Green Ranger, and a giant version of Rita's henchman Goldar and a few
mechas which you will battle with Dragonzord and Megazord, each with an arsenal of devastating
power attacks.
The biggest beef I have with this game is that it probably lasts about as long as an
episode.
The battles against your childhood enemies are actually a lot of fun, but the replay
value is about as deep as a kiddy pool.
Fortunately, there is a multiplayer mode that might serve you, but in an age of Mortal Kombat
and Street Fighter, which would you choose?
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a good dose of nostalgia that will keep you occupied for
about an hour, tops.
You might even get the itch to tug at Mom's skirt for a trip to the toy store all over
again.